A movie about cloning that is a clone itself... sort of...

Rating: 6/10 (25 March 2006)

Some of the reviewers have come up with the crazy notion that this movie has elements of and references to other movies in it... and boy does it have them!
Let's start with a few basics - the main protagonist realizing that his world is just an illusion and that humans in his world are actually grown, not born (including a shot of humans in "embryo pods") - The Matrix I
Him and some pretty girl escaping from their confined underground world and glaring into the bright sunlight of the real world - Logan's Run
Escapees in bright white overalls running through the desert, chased by (black!!) helicopters - Capricorn One
Futuristic-looking motorized vehicles that are actually fully badged current production models, only with PVC-augmented fenders (and one concept car that, even if briefly this time around, steals the show) - I, Robot
One heck of an urban highway chase with demolition scenes agogo: The Matrix II
The idea of the "real" human and his clone meeting face to face - The 6th Day
And let's not forget THE clone of all clones of scenes in this movie - towards the end, when Lincoln is about to be captured, he is lying on the floor, gradually pushes himself back up, and says "My name is Lincoln!!" ... Keanu Reeves, eat your heart out!
There are probably more "references" or, simply put, knock-offs, but these are the most obvious. Now don't get me wrong, this is still a nice movie as far as action flicks and summer blockbusters go - lots of action, shooting, explosions and mayhem, but if you've watched the movies mentioned above, you can't help feeling a bit strange when you see the corresponding scenes in this one.
Also notable: the barrage of product placements. Sure, a movie like this costs a lot of money to make, but those various well-known brand logos could have been presented a bit more subtly.
I'll give it the 6 points it deserves, and please do rent/buy this movie if these elements I just mentioned are your type of thing - because for what it's worth, it delivers well in these departments... but that's where it ends.
6/10